Driver, 40, killed after 'driving the wrong way down M6' alongside four others was a 'former Top Gun pilot'

24 October 2024, 11:41

A driver involved in the crash that killed four members of the same family after 'driving the wrong way on the M6' was a 'former Top Gun pilot who trained with the RAF'.

Richard Woods, 40, from Cambridgeshire, was killed in the accident after his Skoda collided with a Toyota carrying five people.

The accident came after it's alleged the vehicle was travelling "the wrong way down the M6".

It' snow reported that Woods was a highly trained "RAF tornado pilot" who previously undertook flying hours "with the RAF", according to The Sun.

The outlet also reported the pilot "had been under a lot of stress" in the run-up to the accident.

Mr Woods is said to have been based at RAF Marham in Norfolk, where he had previously piloted the F-35B Lightning flight simulator, it's been claimed.

The accident followed "multiple reports" of a vehicle travelling southbound on the northbound carriageway on Tuesday, October 15.

A force spokesperson said on Wednesday: 'We can confirm the identity of the driver of the Skoda, involved in the road traffic collision on the M6 Northbound past Tebay on Tuesday 15 October. 

"The driver has been formally identified as Richard Woods, aged 40, from Cambridgeshire."

Read more: Pictured: Mother and father who died in horror fireball crash on M6 when car travelled 'wrong way' down motorway named

Read more: Driver in motorway crash that killed five people killed including two children was 'on wrong side of the road'

Jade McEnroe, 33, Jaroslaw Rossa, 42, and two boys aged seven and 15, were killed when their Toyota crashed head-on with another car reported to be traveling the wrong way down the motorway.

The family is understood to have been returning home to Glasgow after a trip to Legoland when the head-on fireball crash occurred around 4pm on Tuesday.

A third boy travelling in the Toyota, aged seven, was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle with serious injuries.

The seven-year-old has since been named as Arran Martin, who remains in a coma with his father "by his side day and night".

His father, Andy, has reportedly remained by his bedside "day and night" during his hospital stay, with a new GoFundMe campaign revealing further details on the youngster's condition.

The head-on crash, which took place close to Tebay services, saw the Skoda he was travelling in collided with a Toyota reportedly travelling in the wrong direction down the M6 motorway.

In tribute to her sons Filip and Dominic, both hailing from east Glasgow, the boys' mother, Kamila, who was not involved in the collision, said: 'We are heartbroken at the passing of our beloved angels - Filip and Dominic.

:Filip was very intelligent, sensitive and full of love. We will never forget his smile, open arms, and the words 'tuli, tuli' (hugs, hugs). He was fascinated by computer games but also incredibly good at chess.

'He loved chemistry and dreamed of studying at the University of Glasgow.

'Dominic was always smiling, very resolute and sociable. He was extremely caring, always thinking of others first, and the first to help if someone was in trouble. Always surrounded by a group of friends of all ages.

'He loved dinosaurs and Pokemon, but most of all he loved penguins and dreamed of adopting one. Our lives will never be the same again.'